Dr. Karabi Bezboruah

Associate Dean for Faculty Success and Research

Dear CAPPA Faculty,

As we begin the 2026-2027 academic year, I’d like to extend a heartfelt welcome to all our faculty. Whether you are returning to CAPPA or joining our community for the first time, we are delighted to have you with us. I hope you had an opportunity to recharge over the summer and are beginning the new academic year energized for another season of teaching, research, creativity, and collaboration.

When we launched the CAPPA Faculty Success and Research Digest last year in partnership with CAPPA Communications, our goal was to create a platform that celebrates faculty achievements and connects colleagues with opportunities that support research, teaching, and professional growth. As we start a new academic year, we hope the Digest will continue to serve as a living record of the outstanding work taking place across CAPPA.

One of the exciting traditions established last year was the CAPPA Forum: Research + Creative Works Symposium. Its successful launch brought together faculty, staff, and students to showcase innovative research, creative scholarship, and interdisciplinary projects. The event brought our intellectual community together and opened doors for collaboration and engagement. We are delighted to continue this event this academic year, and the next is scheduled for Friday, February 5, 2027. Please mark your calendars, as all CAPPA classes will be canceled for that day to allow faculty and students to attend and participate in the symposium. A call for proposals will be shared very soon.

Additionally, as part of our continued commitment to faculty success, we are excited to launch the CAPPA Summer Writing Program, an initiative to support our researchers with the tools needed for the development and execution of writing projects, and the CAPPA Faculty & Staff Resource Handbook, a centralized guide to college resources, processes, and information. More details are available in this Digest below.

This year, I encourage you to stay connected through the Digest, share your accomplishments, and take advantage of the resources and opportunities highlighted here each month. Together, we will continue to build a culture that celebrates faculty success, fosters partnerships, and advances excellence.

I wish you a productive, inspiring, and rewarding semester, and I look forward to celebrating your achievements throughout the year.

CAPPA Summer Writing Program

The CAPPA Summer Writing Program is an eight-week structured initiative that helps faculty and advanced doctoral students turn scholarly, design, and creative work into publication-ready manuscripts, grant proposals, and other high-impact outputs. Through weekly two-hour sessions that combine mini-workshops, focused writing, goal check-ins, and interdisciplinary peer feedback, participants build sustained momentum, accountability, and a supportive writing community while engaging with diverse research and practice-based methods. The program requires a total commitment of 6–10 hours per week. Participants who fulfill all requirements earn recognition as “Summer Writing Fellows.”

Our first cohort of the 2026 Summer Writing Fellows is:

Congratulations to our 2026 CAPPA Summer Writing Fellows for completing the program! Your determination to advance scholarly writing, research productivity, and academic excellence reflects the very best of CAPPA's commitment to discovery, creativity, and impact.

Dr. Jiwon Suh, Associate Professor of Public Affairs, was selected as a Division of Faculty Success Fellow this fall, contributing to a university-wide initiative to migrate CCQ data within Watermark/Digital Measures.

She also received a UTA CARES Grant from UT Arlington Libraries for her project, "Upscaling Digital Governance: Integrating AI Literacy and Applied Learning through OER," which advances AI literacy and the use of open educational resources.

In addition, Dr. Suh represented the Department of Public Affairs and Planning at the 27th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (DG.O), presenting research as lead researcher for the Texas team of the SAIL-Gov project.

UTA proudly announces that Retired Assistant Dean Rebecca Boles and Associate Professor George Gintole, esteemed longtime faculty members in CAPPA’s School of Architecture, have been awarded distinguished emeritus titles in recognition of their decades of excellence in teaching, mentorship, and service to the university and community.

Associate Professor of Practice Boles has been named Associate Professor of Practice Emeritus, and Associate Professor Gintole has been named Associate Professor Emeritus. Read More.

Mark Lamster, former Associate Professor of Practice in Architecture at CAPPA, has spent more than a decade writing about the buildings, streets and civic spaces that shape life in Dallas and North Texas. He earned the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for criticism, the highest honor in American journalism.

The Dallas Morning News architecture critic won for a series of seven columns about downtown Dallas that sparked public debate centered on the threatened demolition of Dallas City Hall, I.M. Pei's iconic example of brutalist architecture. Read More.

UTA's Master of Architecture (M.ARCH) program has been granted the full eight-year term of continuing accreditation by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), underscoring its standing among the nation's leading architectural education programs. Read More.

UTA's Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is reaccredited by the NASPAA Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation and is listed on the Annual Roster of Accredited Programs in conformity with NASPAA standards. The accreditation is effective through August 31, 2032, maintaining the program's commitment to excellence in public service education. Read More.

AI, Robotics Advance Ecological Design

As part of the Research Enhancement Program (REP) research series, which aims to highlight new investigative projects that may lead to future innovations and enhance proposals for external funding, the university is showcasing Dr. Shermeen Yousif’s Performative AI Lab at CAPPA. 

Her project, awarded the REP, investigates how generative artificial intelligence and robotics, using camera sensing, extrusion, and fabrication methods, can be coupled to develop innovative architectural design prototypes. Read More. 

UTA’s Alpinestudio Global Campus Featured at International Symposium in Amsterdam

Dr. Oswald Jenewein, Associate Professor of Architecture, presented UTA’s Alpinestudio International Program at the Aurora Symposium on Global Citizenship hosted by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His presentation highlighted the innovative partnership between UTA and Universität Innsbruck, showcasing how the Alpinestudio Global Campus connects students, faculty, and researchers through collaborative learning, design, and research focused on climate resilience and the future of the built environment. Read More.

Faculty Honors & Awards Opportunity

The 2027 UTA Faculty Research Honors nomination cycle opens September 8 and closes November 9. The Academy of Distinguished Researchers will continue its dual-track structure, recognizing excellence in both STEM and Creative, Humanities, and Social Sciences disciplines, while emphasizing expanded eligibility criteria under the amended AA-FT-PO-05 Policy.

Faculty are encouraged to nominate outstanding colleagues whose research, scholarship, or creative work has made a significant impact. Learn more about award categories, eligibility requirements, and submission guidelines: Faculty Research Honors Overview and Nomination Guidelines.

ACUE helps faculty strengthen evidence-based teaching practices that support active learning, collaboration, student engagement, and applied project-based learning. These approaches complement many of the teaching goals found across architecture, planning, public affairs, urban studies, and public policy programs. 

Fall 2026 Opportunities:

Start Date: August 31, 2026

Start Date: October 19, 2026

Year-Long Program:

Faculty information:

The Day Family Research Lab (DFRL) is a hub for research support at the UTA Central Library. Located on the 5th floor, the DFRL provides faculty and student researchers with access to quantitative and qualitative data analysis tools and support for using them. The DFRL also hosts workshops on research methods and scholarly communications. Starting in September, we will present workshops on everything from data cleaning to GIS.

Check their website for the full schedule, details on available technology, or to book an appointment with one of our experts.

Join the Fall IRB Mini Conference on Thursday, September 3, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (virtual). This event is designed for faculty, staff, students, and study teams involved in human subjects research. Topics will include:

Whether you are new to research or an experienced investigator, this conference offers valuable guidance to support ethical and compliant research practices. Register Here: Fall IRB Mini Conference and learn more about the IRB Mentor Program.

The Innovative Postsecondary Models (IPM) Fund seeks proposals from organizations operating innovative postsecondary education models that are rethinking how education is designed, delivered, financed, and assessed for learners in the United States. Through this request for proposals, the IPM Fund will identify and fund high-potential education models that are reimagining how postsecondary education can remove barriers, increase access, and improve outcomes for learners across the U.S.

Proposals should align with at least one of the following areas:

Applications are due 11:59 pm ET on Monday, September 14, 2026. Apply Now!

The Office of Research and Innovation will introduce the new Center for Strategic Development during a hybrid event on Friday, Sept. 18, at noon. It will replace the Center for Proposal Development and expand its current services and support for faculty, staff, and students involved in research. RSVP is required. 

It's almost that time of year. All faculty and staff are welcome to attend the second annual Welcome Back Bash Thursday, Sept. 24, hosted by the Staff Advisory Council. Food, fun, and games will be at Maverick Activities Center Gym 103. 

Do you have news, publications, research, awards, and announcements to SHARE? Fill out the form below!

Karabi Bezboruah, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Success and Research

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